Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 15

As soon as Don hung up from talking to his father, Meryl gave him a look. "I heard why he called and no matter what the doctors say you are going to Indiana this weekend; with or without us."

"What?" Don looked at her like she was nuts as he laid the babies down in the bassinet in the den. "I'm not traveling hundreds of miles leaving my wife whose heart stopped only 2 weeks earlier and our 2 week old TWINS alone in New York City."

Meryl took a deep breath. "Don, Maeve or Mary can come stay with me; or Liz if they don't go. Listen, you could charter a private plane with a pilot and fly in and out. You wouldn't even be gone over night if you didn't want to be. Your parents have waited over 65 years to be together. You are their only child together. You HAVE to be there. I can take care of the babies myself."

"You expect me to walk out of those doors, like I don't have a care in the world, leaving you three here?" Don was starting to break down. "What if you have some sort of complication? What if you have another seizure? What if you get a fucking internal bleed like you did with Lou?"

Meryl placed her hand on his arm trying to get him to calm down. "Sweetheart."

"I am not going to be hundreds of miles away and receive a call saying that you are rushed to the fucking hospital. That you're unconscious." Don didn't bother to wipe away the few tears that escaped his eyes. "I am also not going to start our babies' lives out thinking that I wasn't there for them when they needed me most. That I left them and their mother to go to a party. You might want me to leave but I'm not going to do it."

Meryl stood there in shock as she watched him storm out of the room. "DON!" She took some calming breaths reminding herself of his nightmare; and also of the insecurities James had placed on him for so long. She bent down and picked up the babies from the bassinet; even though Don has been telling her she hadn't been cleared to carry them both at once yet, she was a mother and did what she needed to do. "Come on my lovelies, let's go show your daddy some love."

***

"Can we come in?" Meryl asked holding the babies as she walked into the office where her husband was.

Don gave her a watery smile as he kissed her cheek and took Brady from her. "I'm sorry."

"Baby, I NEVER want you to leave us." Meryl choked back tears. "That is not what this is about. To be honest the thought of you hundreds of miles away while we're here turns my stomach. Not only because I'll be without my best friend and parenting partner; but because I don't want you to miss a minute with them. I also don't want you to go to the wedding without us."

Don tucked her hair behind her ear as he then led her to the sofa. "Then why are you so insistent?"

"Because, baby, this is your parents." Meryl pointed out. "Your family."

Don sighed as he shook his head and laid Brady on his lap. "You KNOW that you and the kids are the family that mean more to me than anything."

"I do know that, sweetheart." Meryl said softly. "I also know that I have come between you and your mom, and brothers, too much."

Don put his fingers on her lips to stop what she was saying. "YOU did not come between us; you would NEVER do that's Their actions, and James' actions most of all, did; not you, NEVER you. You were always the one encouraging me to go. You were the one trying to make sure the Gummers were a part of the kids' lives."

"As much as I don't want the three os us to be here without you even with the help of Liz or Maeve or Mary or Third." Meryl began. "What I can't bare is to think about you missing this wedding; and this is ONLY if the doctor says I can't go, we can't go. If all three of us get the all clear then I am going to be right there by your side with our two little sidekicks."